Unknown: The lucky one
by laurenzane
Summary: A story about one 'lucky' girl's journey to get her identity back in this world of The Walking Dead. Read more to find out. Daryl/OC - Reviews are welcome and appreciated
1. Chapter 1

Hello everyone! Before I post the first part of this story, I'd just like to say that I missed this site so much. I haven't posted a fanfic for almost 2 YEARS and I feel like I've missed out on a lot of things. Now that I'm back, I intend to write as much (and finish!) stories as much as I can.

This fic is obviously about 'The Walking Dead'. I love the story/comic/show/novel(s) so much that I just can't stop thinking about it. I've been a zombie fan since I was a little girl and having a show about zombies really just made me so much happier. Because of my obsession with it, and the looooooong breaks of the show, I decided to log in here on ff and look for fanfics - AND MY GOD - this site is like Narnia! I've read so many good stories here and I especially like JadedSun's. I've been wanting to write a fic about TWD and this one has been waiting idly to be published since November of last year, I think, but I never had the guts to publish it because of all the awesomeness I've been reading. I felt like I needed a concrete plot, lots of research and basically an overview of what TWD was before I could continue and be in line with all the goods stories here in fanfiction.

ANYWAY, before I bore you guys to death, this is the first chapter of my fic. I hope you like it. Reviews will be very much appreciated! (A welcome back message will be nice too) Thank you guys! - D

Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to The Walking Dead. This fanfic is based mainly on the show and not the comic. Enjoy!

**Chapter 1**

"Is she alive?"

The woman woke up to a sound of a man talking nearby. Actually, she wasn't quite sure if she was hallucinating or actually hearing someone talk. She waited for someone to speak again but heard nothing this time, just the cracking of leaves and the sounds of birds from afar. The air was quiet, too quiet, that it seemed awfully haunting and deafening to her ears. She closed her eyes and began taking slow, deep breaths to calm herself.

"Daryl!"

She heard a man shout nearby again, completely waking her up and making her realize that the voices were somewhat close to her.

_Or was it far away? _

She didn't know where she was at that moment, all she knew was that her head was throbbing and she couldn't see straight. She was lying on the wet ground and as she reached out, she felt leaves and rocks around her. She shifted all her weight to her side as she gradually opened her eyes, finally learning that she was somewhere in a forest.

Looking down at her arms, she saw that she had bruises all over and there were marks of dried blood – lots of it. Gazing up, she saw that the sky was starting to light up and figured that it must be early morning. The sun was the color of amber and its rays peeked from the trees, illuminating almost everything around her.

But where is she?

She tried standing up but she couldn't, her body felt like it weighed a thousand pounds. For a moment, she wondered if she had broken something that could make her immobile. And when she tried to move completely, a sudden, sharp pain pierced her right ankle and made her realize that it was not in good shape.

_Why was she in a forest at such an early hour? What happened?_ Things weren't making sense.

Her head felt like it was about to explode and she couldn't think clearly. She tried blinking a few more times, as if that would ease the pain, but it obviously didn't work.

Suddenly, a man was standing above her, covering the sunlight that was almost blinding her eyes. When her vision improved, she saw that he had brown hair and had a crossbow slung on his shoulder, his silhouette looking down at her. She couldn't see his face clearly because it was against the light and she stared at him trying to unmask his expression. Something about the crossbow alarmed her but she couldn't bring herself to question him. Before she could wonder why he had a weapon, he looked down at her and started talking.

"Hey, are ya okay?" He asked in an accent that seemed awfully familiar to her.

She tried to speak but no words came out of her mouth. For a few seconds they stared at each other, not sure of what to say. Her throat was so dry and she couldn't breathe or talk properly. She could only watch as the man quickly removed the weapon from his shoulder and pointed it at her. The hair at the back of her head stood up as he watched him load the weapon, the steel edge of the arrow was reflected by the sunlight and it gave her goosebumps.

_Stop._

She wanted to shout at him so badly but her throat felt as if she just swallowed a golf ball. To her panic, she tried to reach out to him and signal him to lower his crossbow. She was unsure, but it felt like the expression on the man's face changed when she moved, as if he suddenly doubted his own actions. However, he didn't lower his guard - he stared at her a little longer, but the weapon was still in place, ready to fire.

"What the fuck Daryl?"

He turned to someone and she realized that this man had 2 companions; one looked like a young man and the other was wearing what seemed to be a torn and rugged police uniform.

Shane and Glenn both stared at them for a few seconds before deciding to help.

"Lower your goddam weapon, she's not a walker!" Shane hissed.

"How ya sure about that?" Daryl replied with the same tone of anger and frustration that Shane gave him.

"Don't be stupid, Dixon. If she was one of them, she would've bit you by now, seeing that you stood there staring at her for God knows how long." Shane gave him one last look before approaching the woman, grabbing her carefully and helping her sit up.

"Ma'am? Are you okay? What happened?" He was beside her now, staring at her as if trying to make out if she was really alive or not. "Were you bitten?"

They all stared at her, waiting for a response.

"I.." She started to talk but her throat was too dry, she couldn't speak. She tried pointing it out to them but they couldn't understand and she was too weak to gesture.

"-Ter..Wa..ter.." She whispered. "Pl..ease."

Daryl moved away and that was the time she saw his face completely. He had a square face, with jaws that were locked as he moved and soft green eyes that were hidden behind the angry expression on his face. She watched as he finally lowered his weapon, looking annoyed as if he didn't want to admit defeat. Glenn and Shane nodded at one another before hoisting the woman up, and soon they were moving away while carrying her. She looked at the ground as they walked, realizing that she was not familiar with the place they were in. The forest looked dangerous and she wondered if these men saved her life by taking her away from here or if they were actually the ones she should be afraid of.

As she stared at every leaf and twig they were passing by, she suddenly felt her whole body ache. She had no idea why she was so exhausted, all she knew was that she wanted to drink, sleep and wake up feeling better than she did at that moment. The idea of not knowing anything terrified her but at the same time, she felt useless. She couldn't walk on her own and she needed help, there weren't any other choice at the moment.

She didn't know how long it exactly took to get there, but after what seemed like a lifetime, they stopped walking. She turned her head and saw that they arrived at a camp that seemed to have been occupied for a while now. The place had a fire in the middle and she assumed that there were many campers there, basing from the parked cars she could see from a distance. In the middle was an RV and several men were standing next to it, their attention now focused on their new visitor. On the other end, there were women sitting down surrounded by clothes, maybe sorting them out or ironing them, she couldn't quite tell.

"Oh my God!" A woman cried from a distance. She stood up from where she was sitting and quickly approached them, a shirt clenched in her hands. "Shane, what happened? Did she get bit?"

"I don't think so, but she doesn't look so good." He replied in a tone that was a-matter-of-factly. "Give her some water and maybe something to eat, if we have anything left. I think we needs to check her wounds and give her something."

The men carried her inside a trailer van and laid her down on a bed, careful not to hit her head on anything as they did so. Inside, an older man was looking at her with a shocked expression on his face, as if he wanted to help her but he couldn't bring himself to move. She stared at him for a while before the pain in her head made her focus on something else.

When she was finally down the mattress, she realized that her headache had worsened into sharp pains in her temple. Glenn helped her sit up a bit as the same woman from before, she heard her name was Lori, approached them with water and an energy bar in her hands.

She grabbed the bottle and drank all of its content in one long gulp, hoping that the rush of water inside her would make the headache go away. Everyone watched her as she did so, their expressions clearly showing that they were unsure of who and what she was.

"I'm Shane Walsh, you're safe now." The man in the police uniform introduced himself formally and she stopped to look at him. He had black unruly hair and dark eyes, it was obvious from the dark circle under them that he had been lacking sleep lately. His jaw locked as he stared at her, waiting for a response.

She looked around the trailer and noticed that everyone there looked exhausted and bruised, as if they all haven't had decent rest for days. This idea bothered her and for a moment she contemplated on whether she was going to believe what Shane just told her. She locked eyes with the man that almost shot her, Daryl, his expression unreadable. He was standing at the back, staring at her as if wanting to tell her something. When their eyes met, he quickly turned away, leaving the trailer.

"What's your name?"

She fixed her gaze at Shane again, and for a moment her face looked as if he just asked her the hardest question ever.

_Name._

"Can you talk?" It seemed like he was getting frustrated this time. "Say something."

She nodded and closer her eyes, feeling her head throb in agony again. She held it with both her hands, as if trying to control her thoughts.

_Name. Her name. _

It was really simple and she knew it was an easy thing to recall, but somehow no matter how hard she focused, she couldn't come up with anything. The more she thought of it, the more her brain felt like it was going to burst out of her skull.

"I.." She finally blurted out, her voice cracking. "I don't remember."


	2. Chapter 2

I realized that Chapter 1 was a bit boring because it was short. But hey, bear with me because I'm taking it slow for the first few chapters. Slowly but surely, right?

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to The Walking Dead and its characters.

**Chapter 2**

Daryl walked through the woods like a predator stalking its prey, something that he has mastered throughout his years of existence. Since he lived in a town in Georgia that had a vast forest, nature proved to be the better company compared to his abusive father and drugged up older brother.

Most of his life was spent outdoors, in similar predicaments such as this one, so it felt like nothing much has changed for the past days. Of course since the outbreak of the disease, he's not just worried about deadly animals attacking him while he was out but also the undead waiting to strike and sink their rotten teeth into live human flesh.

He held his crossbow firmly as he carefully tracked the deer he's been eyeing for about half an hour already, positioning himself so he can see it clearly without it knowing. He raised his weapon up, which was now loaded and ready to fire, aiming it at the animal that would soon be dinner for all of them at the camp.

"Hell yeah, you're mine now you little son of a-"

Suddenly, gunshot exploded in the air, surprising him and Daryl watched as the deer he was about to shoot dropped dead on the ground.

He heard sounds of laughter erupt from behind him and found his older brother Merle smirking at him as he held his hunting rifle in his arms.

"Damn it, Merle! That deer was mine!"

"Yours?" His brother was smug. "I don' think so, brother. You saw it, clean shot right 'ere."

Daryl gripped on his crossbow tightly, trying to fight the urge to punch his brother on the face. This was something Merle would do, take credit for something he barely contributed to and make it seem like he was the better, tougher individual than anyone else.

"You followed me, you know you ain't gonna come this far out here." He stated with frustration as he stood up from his previous position. "That deer was _mine_."

"Why?" Merle yelled. "So you could feed 'em sorry bastards at camp? What, you wanna be their hero now?"

He focused his gaze on him, but said nothing.

"You know, brother." Merle started talking again. "I heard bout you helping those people out there by bringing 'em out to the woods with ya. I dunno what ya want to happen, man. But if you want to be a hero, I'm telling you to back off and leave those assholes to themselves. We can only care about each other, we're _brothers_."

"You can give a shit if I'm your brother." His jaw stiffened as he stared back at Merle. "It's not like you cared much for anyone but yourself. I make my own decisions now, ya know that."

"Not now you ain't." Merle was walking to the deer now, each step was making noise and Daryl couldn't help but cringe at the idea that some walkers might hear them.

"Could you stop making that fuckin' noise?" His voice almost cracked as he yelled, and when he started talking again, he lowered it so only they could hear. "It's bad enough you used a gun. Ya know what could happen now? Walkers could come follow us back to camp!"

Merle gave out a laugh that made Daryl's hair stand up. "Is that concern I hear from ya? Ya care for them motherfuckers?" He stopped right by the dead deer and looked straight back at him, waiting for a response.

"I dunno." He hissed and approached him. "But I do know we ain't gunna make it with just two of us, especially when you act like a fuckin' cunt."

"What did ya call me?" Merle stood back up again.

Before he could come up with a response, Daryl felt a sharp pain as his brother's fist collided with his right cheekbone. The impact was so strong that he felt blood gush out of his nose as he flew backwards and down to the ground. He quickly stood up to regain his composure, took his weapon that was on the ground and bashed Merle's head using the butt of his crossbow. The weapon flew again as Merle pushed it away and jumped at Daryl, crashing on top of him as they both fell down. They went at it for a few minutes, neither of them wanting to give up on a fight that was more of their egos than their fists.

The Dixon brothers often used violence to resolve an issue, a trait they had inherited from their late abusive father. As early as 2 years old, Merle had his fair share of whips and blows from his dad for doing the 'wrong' things like leaving toys on the floor of their living room and talking out loud when he was watching a ball game on their small television. Growing up, Merle was accustomed to seeing his mother bruised and battered, something she tried to hide from him as much as she could. After a while though, she could no longer hide the fact that her husband was an asshole that hit her almost everyday. Even when his mother were already pregnant again, his father would beat her up, one time even giving her a concussion. After their mother's death from giving birth, a death that seemingly freed her from her prison of a marriage, Merle decided that it was his job to protect Daryl from their father's wrath, especially since he considered the child to be the reason why his wife had died.

That, of course, did not guarantee Daryl a life of luxury. At times when Merle was not around, and this often happened when he was a teenager, their father would beat Daryl so bad that the child would not be able to leave bed for days. As he grew older, Daryl learned how to protect himself through the guidance of Merle. But soon afterwards, it was the brothers who fought each other for power.

Both of them were breathless and badly bruised by the time they decided to stop. Merle's temple was bleeding from the impact of the crossbow and Daryl's lip had a cut that made it swell like it was stung by a bee. His hands were covering his nose to stop the blood that was flowing out of it. They both gasped for air, cursing each other as pain stretched throughout their bodies. Unbeknownst to Merle, a walker from a distance had heard their commotion and was fast approaching him.

"You son of a bitch." Daryl cursed his brother another time.

Merle looked at him and raised his fist, ready to punch again, when Daryl suddenly took his crossbow and pointed it towards him. He could only watch as he loaded an arrow in one quick motion.

"Hey, hold on, you ain't gunna shoot your older brother now, would ya?" The slight nervousness made Merle's voice crack.

Daryl didn't flinch and to Merle's horror, pulled the trigger of the crossbow.

Merle watched as the arrow flew towards him and then passed the side of his head by a few inches, as if intended for something else. He turned around and saw a walker standing a few feet away from him, shot directly in between the eyes. The undead let out a short groan, as if feeling pain, before collapsing completely on the ground.

"Fuckin' A! Ya almost had me there, bro!" Merle was laughing again. "Ya shoulda told me a walker was there."

"Shoulda told ya if you're sorry ass wasn't so fuckin' loud." Daryl answered as he approached the walker and took back the arrow that was deeply planted in its skull. The man, or what used to be a man, smelled so foul that Daryl couldn't bear to stay near to it. The rotten flesh on his face revealed dark meat and bones underneath. Half of his right shoulder was torn off and the sight disgusted Daryl to no end.

He turned back and quickly walked to Merle. "Let's get the deer and bring it back to camp."

"We ain't bringin' no deer to camp."

"It's my deer, I decide what I do with it."

"It ain't your deer." They were arguing again. "And stop actin' like a hero, Daryl. Those people don't care for ya, I do. Why you suddenly Mr. Friendly now?"

Daryl looked into his brother's eyes and saw the apathy in them. He wasn't exactly sure what made him think that way, but he wanted to help those people. For the first time in a long time, someone actually needed his help, and that idea was somewhat comforting.

"You ain't a hero, jackass." Merle locked his eyes with his. "After you get this girl from the forest, you suddenly actin' like you fuckin' superman. Now, if you want the bitch, I'm tellin' you she ain't worth it. She can't fuck you when she can't even remember her own name. She's prob'ly so stupid that her brain gave up on her sorry ass. You'll get more pussy if you survive longer, and you do that by stickin' with me. You hear?"

Merle laughed again and approached the deer that was long dead by now.

"I didn't kill her, because she ain't a walker." Daryl hissed defensively.

Merle squatted down next to the deer and looked up at him. "But she did look like one, and I seen you kill 'em bastards without thinkin' twice." He motioned to the remains of the walker not far from where they were. "You can't lie to me, Daryl. I know she looks like her, but it ain't her. Now, move your ass and make a fire, we gonna have a feast, you and me!"

* * *

><p><em>Diane<em>

38-53-77-02

She read the engravings over and over, as if trying to make sense of it all. This was engraved on a necklace she found in the pocket of her jeans shortly after being rescued in the forest and nursed back to health by Shane and the others. The necklace had a small box shaped pendant that looked as if it could be opened by force, but no matter how hard she tried, it wouldn't budge.

Spending three nights in the camp didn't improve her memory; in fact it only made her more paranoid of everyone and everything around her. Although the people here were nice to her, gave her shelter and food, she couldn't completely trust people she didn't know. And as far as she was concerned, everyone was a stranger.

"Hey."

She looked up and saw Glenn coming inside the room of the trailer with water and what seemed to be a bag of peanuts in his hands. He smiled at her and she smiled back, feeling somewhat at ease with him despite her paranoia. He sat down at the bed adjacent to hers and handed her the food, something that he had been doing eversince they found her.

"Sorry it ain't much." He told her.

With a nod, she took the food and said nothing. Outside, the birds were chirping loudly and she could hear the kids playing not far from where she was. As she started eating, she tried to comprehend the situation that they were in at the moment.

The camp was small and secluded, and she learned from Shane that it was set up in the outskirts of Atlanta after the outbreak of the disease resulted into a nationwide panic.

_The disease._

She had no idea what it was and how it worked, and if not for the people around her, she would've been dinner to a _walker_ already.

_Walker _was the term these people used to describe the horror that was once considered human beings. She doesn't remember encountering such creature, but somehow she knew they existed. It was like her brain was telling her to believe in something that would seem impossible if it was told to her in a different situation.

Looking out of the window of the trailer, she found it hard to believe that these people were experiencing those things they described to her – despite the lack of technology and electricity, these people had already amazingly created a makeshift society in the middle of the forest.

Shane, the man that rescued him from the forest that faithful day, led the order. As a former sheriff's deputy, he knew how to handle emergency situations (although it was very unlikely that he was trained for a situation such as this one) and he mostly made the decisions around camp. The system was simple; the women washed the laundry, made the fire, took care of the children and cooked the meals. The men would check the surrounding areas for any signs of life – living or undead, would hunt for food and repair whatever it was that needed repairing. At night, they would take turns patrolling and making sure that everyone gets to sleep through the night - that is if they do get to sleep at all.

The only ones that seemed to be aloof with the people all together were the Dixon brothers, and even though it somewhat bothered her, she didn't trouble herself in finding out why.

_The dead walking and feasting on human beings; a single bite was enough to make you turn into one of them - _how could the world turn into one big hunting ground and how was it that she remembered nothing of this happening?

As she looked at everyone, she saw the pain and agony in their eyes even if they tried to hide it. There were about 6 to 8 families living there, some were complete but most had lost someone special along the way. Lori lost her husband, Shane's best friend, early on, Andrea and Amy lost both their parents, and everyone had their share of traumatic experiences that made it difficult for them to sleep at night. Some of them haven't told their stories yet, but they didn't have to anyway. The mere look on their faces showed that they've been through a lot, and for a quick moment, Diane was thankful she couldn't remember what exactly happened to her.

"Diane," Glenn started talking again. "Do you remember anything at all?"

She looked at him and shook her head. "No, still nothing. Just random images that I can't explain."

Diane was her name now, atleast for the time being. After finding the necklace in her pocket, it seemed right that they would call her that. The name was somewhat familiar to her but she couldn't remember to whom it belonged, and she hoped that hearing it often would bring back some of her lost memories.

"Thank you for the food, Glenn. I appreciate it." She motioned to him and he gave him a shy smile in return.

"Nah, don't mention it." The smile on his face made his eyes look even smaller. "I'll go talk to Shane and the others, we're planning to gather up some supplies sometime soon."

Diane sat up and wore the locket around her neck. "Imma go help Amy and the girls too, I know there's something out there I can do."

He nodded at her and she followed him out of the trailer, dragging along her left foot that was covered in bandages. The camp had no doctor or medic, but they were lucky enough to have scavenged medical supplies before leaving their respective towns. Amy, who was a dancer for most of her life, cared for Diane's sprained ankle and knew how to treat it. Thankfully her injury wasn't so bad and Amy told her she could feel better in a few days or so.

She approached Amy and Andrea who were busy creating a bonfire for the fishes they have caught earlier that day. When she finally got near them, the girls looked up and gave Diane a small smile to welcome her. Across the lot, Shane, Glenn and a few other men were busy talking, judging from the look of Shane's face, it seemed that they were arguing about something important.

"Plans! We need plans!" They heard Shane shout in frustration as he argued with Dale. "We can't just stay like this hoping to get rescued! You saw what they did out there with the civilians!"

Dale said something in return but his voice was inaudible, far from the tone that Shane just used with him. The men all looked tired and disappointed but it was Shane that seemed most troubled out of all of them.

"He's just worried about us all." Lori cuts Diane thoughts, making her turn towards her and watch as she approached them. She was holding a basket filled with wild mushrooms she gathered from the forest. "Our supplies aren't gonna last long, we need to start rationing the food we have left."

"Daryl is a really good hunter." Amy replied. "I've seen him hunt some squirrels out in the forest, maybe he could –"

"I doubt that." Andrea was quick to reply. "I don't think those Dixon brothers are the type of people who'd want to help us. Maybe we should try to do it ourselves."

Diane was about to contribute something to the conversation when suddenly, the sound of gunshot exploded in the air. Everyone was startled and Diane watched as Shane let out an angry growl and rushed to the woods, towards the direction of the gunshot.

* * *

><p>"Fuckin' Dixon brothers!" Shane cursed under his breath as he ran further inside the forest. At that moment he didn't care if his cursing would attract walkers, all he wanted was to punch Merle in the face. No one would be as reckless at that dirty redneck and even just after a few days of isolation with him, Shane has had enough.<p>

It was bad enough that their supplies were running low, but the possible attack of zombies could massively affect their little campsite and maybe even threaten everyone's lives – and he could let that happen, especially to Carl and Lori. His life circled around them now and he wanted nothing more than to protect them, _his family. _

He promised Rick he would protect them at all costs and now that he's dead, his promise what the only thing that kept Shane going and vows that nothing would ever happen to Carl and Lori as long as he lived. They depended on him, the camp depended on him, and he would not let any redneck motherfuckers get in the way of everyone's safety.

"Shane, relax!" Morales shouted as he, Glenn and Tdog trailed Shane.

"Don't tell me to relax!" He rebutted, slowly getting his pistol from his belt and releasing its safety. He turned to them, his anger boiling deep inside of him. "You and I both know who fired that gun, and the noise will be heard by walkers within 5 miles of radius. Do you understand the situation we have here?"

"Look!" Glenn pointed upwards and Shane turned his head, quickly seeing smoke coming out of the woods from somewhere nearby.

He quickly quickened his pace to the direction of the smoke, each step feeling more like and obstacle course rather than a normal environment. As they neared the area, the smell of something cooking was overpowering and Shane couldn't help his stomach from grumbling.

From a distance, he could see the backs of the Dixon brothers, as they seem to be eating something, their laughter echoed through the trees. They were talking about something with 'tits' and 'ass' as they devoured the newly cooked dear meat. This sight annoyed Shane to no end and if Glenn didn't stop him, he would've shot the brothers upon sight.

"Easy." Glenn whispered.

Their weapons were close to where the brothers sat, but not close enough that they would immediately feel if someone stole it from them. They were probably too comfortable with the idea that they were alone out here and didn't bother to secure their weapons.

"I'll confront them." Shane commanded through clenched teeth. "You guys go around and take the weapons from the ground."

"Shane," It was Tdog talking now. "We can't afford to lose manpower right now, so please don't do anything stupid."

"I know what I'm doing." Was his quick response. "Now just follow my lead."

Shane held his gun up as the others disappeared from behind him. He raised it high enough and pointed it at Merle's back, trying to stealth his way towards the brothers, carefully not to make any noise that would alert them of his presence. When he was near enough to shoot point blank, he cleared his throat and began to talk.

"You selfish motherfuckers."

The brothers were startled and turned around quickly, only to find Shane with the gun in his hands. Daryl's reflex was to reach out to his crossbow but found that it was no longer there. Instead, he was greeted by Merle's rifle in his face, now held by Morales.

"Hey there, Mr. Officer." Merle kept calm as he stood up and slightly raised both his arms up. "You don't wanna cause a commotion now, would ya?"

"Just like what you just did?" Shane asked. "Have you got no idea that a single gunshot can attract a horde? And what is this?" He pointed at the cooked dear on the ground. "I guess you weren't planning on sharing that to anyone else now would ya?"

"Now, we were plannin' to give some to the kids." Merle's smile showed a set of yellowish teeth that had dear meat in between them.

"Fuckin' Merle!" Daryl cursed. "We can take 'em down, don't just stand there and smile!" He looked like he could jump at anyone that moment but was trying hard to control himself.

"Relax bro, I have this covered." He turned to Morales. "Amigo, let's be friends now, gimme back my gun."

Morales stood his ground and held the rifle firmly, although Shane could sense that he was somewhat shaking. He couldn't blame him; the brothers gave off a vibe that could easily frighten certain people. Luckily, Shane wasn't one that was easily scared.

"You listen to me, and you listen to me good." Shane took Merle by the collar of his shirt and held the gun to his temple. "We are running low on supply and we do not need stupid assholes like you to put us all in jeopardy. Tomorrow we will be headin' out of town to get supplies from the mall in Atlanta, why don't you make yourself useful then?"

Shane watched as Merle just laughed in response. "I'd be glad to, princess. If I go to your little field trip, you gotta give me back my gun, though. It's a fair deal, don't ya think?"

The calmness of Merle's reply surprised Shane, calming him down as well. He nodded, slowly lowered the gun and turned to the others.

"Keep the guns for now and get what's left of the deer." He said, and then turned back to Merle. "You get your gun back tomorrow morning, _princess_. It's a fair deal, don't ya think?"


	3. Chapter 3

First of all, thank you SaraLostInes for writing the first (and only :( ) reviews and for taking the time to read what I'm writing. I actually feel like we're the only people reading this. HAHA. Anyway, to anyone else reading, I'd appreciate a review really. I really want to know what you think so far. I know it's kinda boring because I'm still following the show's plot, but I promise I'll deviate from it in the next chapters. :)

Thank you again, I'm really enjoying writing about The Walking Dead, so I hope you guys like reading my version of it. Keep on reading, I promise it will be better :)

Disclaimer: I do not own 'The Walking Dead'

**Chapter 3**

_She entered the house. The front door creaked as she slowly opened it, revealing a dark hallway that was enclosed by two flights of stairs adjacent to one another. There weren't any lights and the only thing that illuminated the place was the bright moonlight that shone from the open windows._

_Holding her breath, she carefully made her way inside, stopping just at the bottom of the stairs._

Hello?_ She called out, but there was no response. All she could hear was her own voice, echoing throughout the large expanse of space._

Hello?_ She called out again._

_A flicker of light from above the stairs caught her attention, and she held her breath as she slowly ascended the stairs. Her heart was beating fast, the pattern seemingly resonating inside her head. _

_She felt her palms sweat as she approached the slightly ajar door where the light was coming from. She could hear soft moaning from the inside but something at the back of her mind was telling her that those sounds weren't coming from someone, or something, that was still alive. _

_She pushed the door open and was surprised with what she saw._

_A man was standing in the middle of the room, next to an operating table; his back was turned to her. And on the table laid a corpse of a man, or a rotting human being, she couldn't decide what exactly. His hands were tied tightly and even if he looked completely dead, somehow, well, somehow… he just wasn't._

_The doctor turned around with a scalpel and started cutting the abdomen of the…patient. She could only watch as blood, the darkest shade of red, pus and what seemed to be black liquid oozed out of the newly opened wound. In response, the corpse moaned and reached for the doctor in rage. Its teeth were trying to bite the doctor as he took some of his body organs out, all of which were blackish in color because of decay._

_Not believing what she was seeing, she gasped by the door and caught the attention of the doctor._

_He turned to her, showing that half of his face was covered in an operating mask. _

"Fuck!"

Diane woke up sweating and panting. The dream was so real, so vivid, that for a moment she wondered if she would run away. However, the sounds of birds outside and the rustling of leaves from the trees brought her back to the reality of the camp. She turned to Dale who was snoring lightly on the bed adjacent to hers, his rifle resting beside him, and was relieved that she had not woken him up with her cursing.

The air smelled of wetland and trees, with an odor that she couldn't quite point out. At times when the wind blew from the north, the air would smell of decomposition, urine and feces – not the best perfume to smell at a time like this.

She closed her eyes again, the heat of the RV taking a toll on her. She figured that tomorrow she'll ask them to move her to a tent outside, where the air was cooler and the space less confined.

Yeah, maybe tomorrow.

* * *

><p>Morning, somewhere in another part of Georgia, Officer Rick Grimes came back to his house and fished for the keys to the police department, hoping to get supplies for him and his new companions, Morgan and his young son Duane.<p>

Yesterday was still a blur for him. After waking up in an abandoned hospital, seeing a walker for a first time and getting hit in the head with a shovel, he seemed to be in borderline state of shock and denial. The only thing getting him through the day was the thought that maybe Carl and Lori were still alive somewhere, waiting for him to come back.

They took a well-deserved shower before taking the weapons from the small supply room at the back of the office. Prior to going on their separate ways, Rick handed one of the walkie-talkies he found to Morgan.

"You got one battery." He said. "Week from now, I'm gonna start turning mine on for a few minutes everyday at dawn. You get up there, that's how you find me."

"You think ahead." Morgan replies, taking the walkie-talkie from Rick's hand.

"Can't afford not to, not anymore."

"One thing." Morgan locked his eyes into his, his expression that of urgency. "They may not seem like much, one at a time. But in a group? Riled up and hungry? Hell, they almost turned our car over. You watch your ass."

Rick nodded. "And you watch yours."

The men stared at each other for a while, making the most out of that moment as if they were both unsure whether they would see each other alive again. The sun was high up in the sky now, welcoming a new day that seemed to bring more despair than hope.

"You're a good man, Rick." Morgan said with sincerity in his eyes. "I hope you find your wife and son."

With that, the men shook each other's hands and said goodbye, both unsure of what lies ahead for them.

* * *

><p>That same morning Merle, Glenn, Tdog, Jacqui, Morales and (despite Amy's protests) Andrea left early for Atlanta to gather supplies. Shane was left behind after the people decided it would be better if he stayed and guarded the camp, especially after the gun incident the previous day. Everyone feared the possibility of walkers migrating to where they were and the idea of having a police officer around was somewhat comforting.<p>

As promised, Merle got his rifle back after showing what seemed to be a surprising enthusiasm for the city trip. Everyone had doubts on his intentions of course, but they all decided to let him be, convinced that Merle's addition the group would give them more chances of survival once they reach the main city again.

Everyone believed that, except his brother Daryl, of course. But whatever he felt, he kept to himself and never bothered to tell anyone else.

Diane woke up and feeling better than she did the previous night. Her headache was gone and her foot was better, allowing her to move around freely in an almost normal pace. She turned to the other bed and saw that it was already empty; she figured Dale must've woken up earlier than she did and she felt somewhat guilty about that. She didn't want to be useless around camp anymore so she was determined to volunteer to do some errands later today. There was something else she wanted to see for herself, something bothering her, and she knew exactly who could help her. Although, there's no guarantee he'll ever want to do that.

She took off her sweater, which was now full of sweat from the heat inside the RV, and wore one of Lori's tank tops that she was nice enough to give to her.

Outside, Dale and Shane were discussing about something, while Lori and Carol were busy minding their children and making them read some books. Amy was sitting beside the campfire, inspecting Dale's old transmitter and trying to find a signal that actually worked.

Her usual pretty features were curled up in a frown as she fumbled through the transmitter dials, receiving nothing but dead air, an irony that frustrated almost everyone.

"Still nothing." Amy sighs as she sat on a rock next to her, still holding the transmitter and refusing to give up. "There's got to be someone else out there."

"Can I see?" Diane was beside her now, holding out her hand.

Amy looked at her and nodded. "Sure, whatever. I don't understand it anyway."

She took the machine and began examining the wirings. Something in her head was telling her what to do, as if she had done it a thousand times before. Almost absentmindedly, she fixed the protruding wires and attached them to the proper places. As soon as she was done, she turned the dial up and a sound came up from the transmitter as it searched for a nearby signal.

"Wow!" Amy stared at her in amazement. "How did you do that?"

She shook her head and sighed. "I have no idea."

Amy just shrugged as Diane handed her the transmitter back and she began to move the dial again.

Dale was staring at her from afar, a look of wonder and question on his face. Surely someone wouldn't just mess around with a transmitter and have it working without prior knowledge, right? It was highly doubtful that she mastered it from everyday work, and somehow Diane shared the same sentiments. If only she could actually remember where she learned it.

Before she could think about it more, the radio started picking up a signal and man's voice emerged, taking their attention.

"He-…,this.." The man's voice was hardly audible through the garbled transmission. "If anyone-, please respond. I am.. to Atlanta..-"

"Oh my God!" Amy cried as she took the radio and started speaking. "Hello? Hello, yes I hear you!"

The man continued talking, despite Amy's replies.

"If anyone hears, please-"

"Hello?" Amy almost yelled. "Hello, I can hear you! You're coming through!"

Upon hearing, Shane quickly ran towards them and took the radio from Amy's hands.

"Hello?" He said. "This is officer Shane Walsh, we have a group of survivors in a camp right outside Atlanta. If you can hear me, please respond. Do not go into the city!"

The other man's voice was beginning to fade away, lost in broadcast.

"I repeat, do not go into the city!" Shane grunts and drops the radio to the ground as it completely loses signal. "Dammit!"

"What are we going to do?" Lori came walking to them, a worried expression masked on her face. "We can't let those people come to Atlanta, the city's dead now!"

Shane said nothing as everyone around turned to look at him.

"We have to go out there, Shane!" Lori protested. "We need to put a sign on the highway, we have to warn those people."

"What do you expect us to do? Put up a billboard on the highway with the picture of this camp?" He ran his hand through his hair in frustration and stared straight at her, a tone of sarcasm in his voice. " Dale's RV rentals, a place to camp out with the family. Enjoy overnight stays with complimentary cooked squirrels every breakfast!" He imitated the tone of a television commercial, as Lori looked even more displeased. His tone was mocking, surprising everyone with the quick change of his demeanor.

She stared at him for a while, the others around them completely silent.

"You're an asshole." She replied to him before she stormed out.

Shane quickly followed her, leaving everyone confused as to what they had to do with the man on the radio.

"We can't do anything else." Dale said, seemingly reading everyone's minds. "We can't go look for him in this predicament. He has to find us. Let's just pray that he does it in time."

"Prayers, huh?" Jim approached, holding what seemed to be twigs and wood that would be used for campfire later. "I dunno if prayers work here where we are, Dale."

* * *

><p>The sickle was sharp and light and it fit perfectly in Diane's hands like it was made for her. She managed to borrow one from Jim, convincing him she'd only go to the woods to get some fruits or maybe some mushrooms for camp. Upon hearing this, Dale was kind of unsure of letting Diane go alone but she convinced him otherwise. Besides, she wasn't <em>really <em>planning on going alone at all.

Daryl and Merle's tents were situated at the far back of the camp, beside the parked cars and away from the other tents, a seemingly good position given that they didn't want contact with much people anyway. As she approached, what struck her attention instantly was a big black motorcycle parked beside one tent and she figured it must belong to one of the brothers.

Diane was actually expecting to find no one there, especially after hearing from the others that Daryl usually went on hunting trips without informing the camp. But as soon as she was near, she found Daryl fixing his things inside his tent, packing for a trip so it seemed.

Before she could even start talking, he sensed her there and turned quickly towards her.

"What d'ya want?" He was holding his crossbow in a possessive way, startling her.

"Hey." She greeted. "Are you busy?"

He looked at her as if she just said the stupidest thing before continuing packing his stuff and putting his arrows inside a small bag he had. He was dirty, with sweat covering his face as he battled with the heat of the sun, his face showed a hint of annoyance.

"Look, I'm not going to lie and say that I came here for small talk." Diane started to talk again, but Daryl acted as if she wasn't there. "I need your help on something."

He grunted and slung his crossbow on his shoulders, preparing to leave. Diane was annoyed with the rudeness he was showing.

"Are you listening to a word I'm saying?" She almost shouted. "Can you please take me back to the place where you found me? I need to come back, I feel like I'll remember something if I go."

He stared back at her and said nothing, his expression blank. "It's dangerous." He said. " I dun wanna be babysittin' anyone out there."

"I don't need babysitting." She raised the sickle up. "I can defend myself."

The only response she got was Daryl's sarcastic laughter echoing to her ears. She felt her anger boil as she grunted.

"If I knew the place, I wouldn't be asking you this, you know." She said.

"Look, amnesia girl," He replied. "That won't save you like my baby right 'ere." He pointed to the weapon in his arms. "I think you better move back to camp with them girls and do some cookin', do something you gals should be doin'."

"Fuck you, jackass. I was asking you in a nice way." Diane's response surprised Daryl. "Fine, if you're not coming with me, then I'm going there myself. You can stick that arrow up your ass for all I care."

With that, she stormed out and sprinted into the woods.

* * *

><p>Daryl stood there for a few seconds, shocked with what just happened. Sure, he was never really successful with the ladies, but he was used to having them obey him or just say nothing in response whenever he acted like a jerk (or in better terms, when he acted like<em> Merle)<em>. It was the first time that a girl actually responded to him with that intensity, and she wasn't even afraid to curse him in his face.

He watched as Diane disappeared to the forest, holding her sickle tightly in her hand. For a moment, he was actually wondering if she was going to run to him and hit him with it before she stormed out. Even if he'll never admit it to anyone else, for a brief, extremely short second he was actually alarmed.

The sky was a bright blue as the sun set high above the clouds. The early Georgia morning heat was taking a toll on him so he decided to go on a hunting trip, deep inside the forest where the trees would block out the rays of the sun. With Merle gone, he was sure that no one else would take his hunt away especially since no one in the camp had the guts to walk as far as he could. However, what just happened today made him change his agendas for a bit. He knew that he couldn't just let Diane go alone now, especially when it seems like he's the only one that knows where she's going.

With the stealth skills he mastered, he followed her as she walked deeper and deeper into the woods. She was cursing, saying something involving 'assholes' and 'rednecks' and at some point Daryl wanted to reply to her, but decided not to so his cover wouldn't be blown. She kept walking and walking without a specific direction, limping through the obstacles and showing sheer determination in finding the right location. True enough, it seemed like she knew where she was going somehow. Daryl remembered the path they took that day and it surprised him that Diane was able to remember it too, despite her condition at that time. He guessed that she was following her hunches this time.

As he followed her, he was able to take a good look at what she really looked like. Her hair was long and dark brown, she was surprisingly fit like an athlete of some sort and her soft features contrasted her feistiness and short temper. Guessing now, he figured she must be somewhere in her late 20's to early 30's, somewhere around his age limit. So it wouldn't be bad if he and her would-

"Stop it." Daryl quickly told himself, shaking the thoughts away.

Still, whenever he looked at her he couldn't help but remember Elizabeth. The same hair, and their soft green eyes - they were remarkably striking to him and he couldn't look away.

_Elizabeth._

He shook the thoughts away and continued walking.

Diane stopped walking and looked around, figuring that maybe someone was following her. Daryl hid behind a tree not far from where she was and peeked, watching as she walked and slowly raised her weapon. He hid again and waited, never wanting to be seen especially after their argument. Both of them were silent now and she could hear Diane's footsteps fading away, and he realized she might've started back on the trail.

He moved away from the tree, determined to follow her again, but was surprised to see her standing in front of him, ready to attack.

"Sumofabitch!" He cursed out loud, moving back.

She quickly approached him and pointed the sickle to his throat. "You pervert! First you act like a jackass then you come follow me! What, you think I'm gonna piss out here? Is that going to turn you on, you sick maniac?"

"What the fuck!" He yelled. "I ain't gunna watch you piss! Don't ya flatter yerself, missy!"

"Then what?" She moved the weapon closer to his neck. "Why are you following me?"

Daryl felt the edge of the blade near his skin and he contemplated on whether he should use force to get it away from her. Somehow, it didn't seem like a logical thing to do.

He shrugged, refusing to admit the real reason. Diane lowered the weapon and frowned.

"I don't need a babysitter." She said, as if reading his mind. "Don't pity me. I know I don't remember certain stuff, but I ain't stupid."

She turned his back to her and starting walking away before Daryl began speaking again.

"I'll take ya there, just don't go askin' me why." He said, walking pass her. "Move, 'fore I change my mind."

The act surprised Diane but she followed him, nevertheless. Soon they were standing at the exact same spot where Diane was found several days ago. She was expecting to see something, visualize a scene or remember even just a slight detail of what really happened, but she had nothing. They stood there for a few minutes, (Diane spent the whole time staring at the ground) before they actually decided to move.

"Do you remember now, or are ya gonna stand there and stare till next week?" Daryl asked sarcastically, making Diane's face curl into a frown.

She looked up the hill and saw nothing but ever more trees and greenery. Finally surrendering, she sighed and turned to him.

"I still don't remember anything."

Daryl said nothing and just looked around, not wanting to fix his gaze on hers. He wasn't used to this kind of situation and he didn't know how to say anything comforting to anyone, so it was best to not say a word.

"Look," Diane said again, her voice hinting disappointment. "I can go back to camp on my own, you don't have to come. Thanks."

He watched as she started walking away, looking like a betrayed child. Daryl prepared to move deeper in the forest now, determined to hunt something good before the day ends. He walked away before hearing Diane call his name.

"Daryl!"

He turned around and saw her looking directly at him.

"What?" He asked, expecting her to say something bad again. Instead, she gave him what seemed to be a slight smile.

"Thanks for not firing an arrow into my head when you found me. I appreciate it." She turned around and walked away again before he could respond.

Daryl stood there for a while, trying to figure out everything that happened. He didn't know if he was supposed to smile or just ignore her, so he ended up doing nothing. He didn't have to respond anyway, because Diane went on her way as soon as she thanked him, as if she's trying to save them both from embarrassment.

He was sure that once Merle finds out about him helping the other survivors again, especially Diane, he'd be giving him one of his speeches about brotherhood and he wouldn't hear the end of it. They'd be fighting like wild dogs, for sure. Daryl took a deep breath before heading out, comforted by the idea that the forest was his own now. As soon as Merle comes back, he'll have to share it with him again and he'll take credit for everything he hunts down. He knew that Merle would boast about his trip to Atlanta, probably finding drugs while he's there, since that's the only reason he was enthusiastic about it anyway. He was aware of the fact that Merle was a selfish, immature person but he was still his brother and he couldn't do anything but to accept that.

However, what Daryl was not aware of was this:

Merle was not coming back at all.


	4. Chapter 4

Hello everyone! One more week before The Walking Dead resumes! Are you excited? I personally cannot wait to find out what happens to my favorite characters! So sorry for not posting for about a month, January was really hectic for me. I had my birthday last week (and I'm officially 21!) and on the day itself Norman Reedus gave me a virtual hug via twitter and I loved it!

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Took me a while to finish and publish it but don't worry, the chapter after this one is going smoothly and will feature more original ideas. :) I'll try to update as soon as I can, I promise! As usual, reviews and ratings are _needed_! (I need to know what you guys are thinking, seriously) hahaha! Till next chapter! :)

- D

**Chapter 4**

"Merle!" Daryl shouted as he emerged from the woods, a couple of dead squirrels tied to his side and a dead deer on his other hand – a result of the successful overnight hunt he had.

"Merle, where are you, you son of a bitch?"

The sound of a car alarm nearing the camp made Daryl believe that the others were back from Atlanta, so he came rushing back to greet them. He was excited to tell Merle of a new hunting spot he found inside the woods, maybe daring him to catch more than he did today sometime soon.

Instead of seeing Merle, he was greeted by another police officer he was unfamiliar with. This one was wearing a complete sheriff outfit, his hand clutching his belt as he welcomed Daryl. He stood in the middle of the camp with Lori and Carl standing close to him as if they didn't want to let him go. Daryl figured he might be a long lost relative, Lori's missing husband maybe. At the moment, he couldn't care less.

As soon as he appeared, he found everyone staring at him with a look of pity that made him feel uncomfortable.

"Who the fuck are you?" He asked the new guy.

"I'm officer Rick Grimes." He held out his hand to shake his, but Daryl just looked at it and did nothing.

"Where's Merle?" He looked around at everyone and felt frustrated. "And the hell are y'all lookin' at me like that?"

Diane locked her eyes with his as she stood beside Shane at the other side of the camp. Her face was that of question and a hint of… fear, perhaps? He couldn't quite tell. His heart began beating faster and he could feel his pulse quicken as anger rushed through his veins.

"What did ya do with 'em?" Daryl dropped the dead animals on the ground and pointed his crossbow at Rick.

Everyone gasped as Rick took out his own gun in one quick motion and pointed it back at Daryl's face, both men looking like they were ready to attack if provoked.

"Hey, hey! Stop!" Shane came in between them, trying to convince them both that violence wasn't the best option at the moment.

"Look, we can talk about things more peacefully." Rick's voice was calm and contained, his eyes locked into Daryl's as if he was measuring the other's movements. "There was a situation in Atlanta, your brother endangered the lives of his companions. We had no choice but to use force against him, so I chained him to the roof of the strip mall."

"You what?" Daryl's grip on the weapon got tighter and he swore he could fire an arrow to Rick's skull at any moment now. "And what, you left 'im there?"

Rick's face was serious but he said nothing, only looking down for a brief moment as if to regain composure.

"Actually,"

Someone interrupted and they turned to see Tdog walking towards them, each step was taken slowly as if he was measuring the distance he had away from Daryl. "I left him there."

"Why the fuck would you do that?" Daryl snarled as he turned the crossbow to him. "You fuckin' jackass!" He ran up to the terrified Tdog, almost jumping on him before Rick and Shane got a hold of him and pulled him back.

"Easy, Daryl!" Shane shouted, holding on his arms tightly to stop him.

"It's my fault." Tdog was almost in tears now. "I had they key, but I dropped it-"

"And you couldn't pick it up?" Daryl voice echoed through the small camp, sending shivers down Tdog's spine. He tried to keep his composure, finishing his explanation as his voice cracked with each word he blurted out.

"I dropped it.." He explained, his hands slightly shaking. "I dropped it in a drainage ditch."

"You what?" Daryl jumped to him once again, but was overpowered by Rick and Shane before he got even near the other man. "You son of a bitch! You rot in hell! Stupid motherfucker!"

With surprising strength, Daryl shook away the two men that were holding him as Tdog shivered in fear, expecting Daryl to beat him up in a pulp. Instead of doing so, Daryl threw away his crossbow and stomped on the ground, shouting to the wind and releasing the anger boiling up inside of him. Everyone stared but did nothing, scared that one move would make Daryl snap even more.

For a while the only thing everyone heard around camp was Daryl's shouting. The mothers quickly took the children away as to protect them from whatever was going to happen next.

"He's safe, though. Right, Tdog?" Rick said, in a manner that was almost believable. He slowly walked towards Daryl, somewhat showing everyone that he had the courage to step up and own up to his mistake. "I chained him there, it's my fault. And I'm ready to make amends."

Daryl stared back at him with eyes that could eat up the entirety of his soul. He said nothing.

"Tdog chained the door as well, making sure the walkers didn't get to Merle up there." He explained, trying to sound as diplomatic as he possibly could. "If we come back soon, there's a big chance we can get him out of there alive."

With that, Daryl's face softened. He picked up the crossbow from the ground and pointed it at Tdog. "If we don't find him, I'm going to chain this motherfucker to a fuckin' roof and piss on his face."

* * *

><p>The preparations for the trip back were done in haste, since every minute that passed was crucial to Merle's condition. Despite Lori's disapproval, Rick had to volunteer to go back to Atlanta because he felt that he was somewhat responsible for Merle's possible demise and he couldn't bear the thought of an innocent man left dying when he could've still saved him.<p>

The roller coaster ride that was the past few days took a toll on Rick's sanity. Yesterday, he almost died a tragic death after running a horse into a horde of zombies in the inner part of Atlanta City. For a brief moment, he was convinced that the end has come. That deputy sheriff Rick Grimes' journey had ended, and maybe he wouldn't see Lori and Carl again. The idea made him cringe, but he had no other choice. He would've rather died in his own terms rather than being eaten by creatures that were once normal, human beings.

The dead quickly got a hold of his horse and in his rush to find a place to run to, he dropped the bag of guns he had and left it in the middle of the street. He hid inside a tank before Glenn contacted him through the radio and helped him out.

A second chance - that was what Morgan and Glenn gave him. If it wasn't for them, he wouldn't have seen Lori and Carl again, his family – alive and well – astonished at the sight of him also alive and breathing. The moment set a fire inside Rick, a fire of a new life and new hope that maybe the future would be more bearable this time around.

A second chance at life - that was what he had now and that was what he wanted to give Merle today. Sure, the man's an asshole, but he didn't deserved to be abandoned. Now more than ever, Rick was determined to make this mission as successful and as quick as it could possibly be.

They loaded several equipments to the back of the construction truck, the one they used to flee the city after the close call they had with the walkers. They took enough supplies that would last them a day or two, in case of an emergency prompts them to stay in the city overnight. After a short discussion, they all came to an agreement that Daryl, Tdog, Glenn and Rick would be the ones to bring Merle back to camp.

"Promise me you'll come back." Lori was beside him now, holding his hand and not wanting to let go. "I need you, Rick. Carl needs you. We can't last a day without you anymore, especially after this. Please."

Rick gave her a quick kiss. "I'll be back before you know it, I promise."

Although somehow she doubted that, Lori could do nothing but nod. Rick looked at the little boy standing behind Lori, urging him to come closer before enclosing him in a tight hug.

Carl Grimes hugged his father back melancholically, scared that he might not be able to come back to them after Atlanta. Before the boy could think of anything worse that could happen, Rick let him go and stared straight into his eyes.

"I'm comin' back, Carl." He assured him. "Now, all I want you to do is take care of your mom while I'm gone, okay? Can you promise me that?"

The boy nodded and the two embraced once again. The others came to the truck now, almost ready to leave. Daryl's face was filled with frustration as Tdog tried to move away from him as much as he could while they walked, fearing that he might do something awful to him this time.

"This is stupid!" Out of nowhere, Shane appeared and stopped Rick from getting to the truck. "You're going to risk 4 men to get just one who isn't even useful to this camp!"

"Watch your mouth!" Daryl snapped at him.

"Look, Shane." Rick came in between them before they could start fighting. "It's not just Merle. I left my bag of guns in the street, inside that bag is what we need to _survive. _Do ya understand? The people who saved me, Morgan and Duane, I need to contact them and tell 'em Atlanta's dead. The only way I can do that is by getting that back and having my walkie-talkie with me. We _need _to go back."

"Walkers are comin' up from everywhere, Rick." Shane almost sounds desperate. "They heard the gunshot Merle fired, they heard the alarm from that stupid car, what if they come while you're gone, what will we do? We're stronger if we stay together."

"That's more reason why we need the guns." He replied. "If we're together but we don't have guns to protect ourselves, then we ain't got a chance at all. We'll come back as soon as we can."

With that, they both stopped arguing. Shane nodded in surrender and said,

"You better come back with them guns, Rick."

Rick nodded and bid them goodbye as the four men got inside the truck. Rick was going to drive with Glenn beside him and Tdog and Daryl would be at the back. He hoped that the two men would be able to control themselves from killing one another just until they arrive at Atlanta. Rick started the engine and was ready to go, until a voice stopped him.

"Wait!"

He turned his head and saw Diane standing beside the truck. She had a makeshift belt bag made out of cloth that hanged the sickle to her side and she stood there with an expression on her face that showed what seemed to be a hint of determination and strength. Rick stared at her for a moment, wondering what it is that she wanted to say.

"I'm coming with you." She said, not batting an eyelash. "I need to see Atlanta for myself."

"No!" Glenn argued. "You can't, Diane. It's too dangerous out there – "

"Piss off, Glenn." She grunted. "I just argued about that with Dale. I don't need anyone telling me what to do, I'm going whether you like it or not."

"Diane." Rick looked at her with a concerned expression on his face. "This isn't just a trip. I know you haven't seen those things up close, but I'm tellin' you – they ain't nice. You risk your life just by leaving this camp."

"I know." She nodded. "And I'd rather die doing something useful than waiting around here helpless. Someone out there might know me, Rick. Someone might know who I really am, and I want to take a risk. I won't be a burden. You can leave me behind there if you think I'm slowing you down."

Before Rick could even speak up again to argue, Diane opened the back of the truck, got inside and sat next to Daryl.

"What are you waiting for?" She asked them. "I'm ready to go."

* * *

><p>The ride back to Atlanta was intense and being situated next to Daryl and Tdog did not improve the mood at all. Both men were restless and impatient, and the silence between them was so deafening, it made Diane cower away.<p>

Nobody said a word, not even Glenn who was usually the talkative one out of the bunch. Instead, they all drowned themselves in their own thoughts as the truck made it's way back to the city. As Diane looked out, she saw that the opposite side of the highway was clogged with abandoned cars that went on for miles. The sight terrified her and sent tingles down her spine, making her really realize that this plague wasn't just happening to them but to everyone else as well. Somehow though, something at the back of her mind was telling her she knew it was happening.

The cars were black now, burnt and abandoned in the street like old toys forgotten in time. There were no signs of life, only remnants of what seemed to be a struggle between the living and the undead. Abandoned cars, dark buildings from afar, quiet air and trash everywhere – that was all that's left of Atlanta. The air was hot and it made her sweat stick to her skin like glue, making her skin damp and smell bad. She tried looking out of the window again but the scenery hasn't changed and her hopes of finding someone who knows who she really is slimmed further away.

If she based her calculations from the amount of cars she was seeing, the amount of dead walking would probably be 100 times the number of living people left. And that was just based on a hunch; at this very moment there could probably be more dead roaming the earth than there are live human beings. No one knows how many were able to survive and actually flee the city.

"Beginning to wish you didn't come?"

Diane stared at Tdog as he hunched back into his seat, his eyes fixated at her and seemingly reading her thoughts.

She shrugged. "No, not at all."

The truck was brought to a halt at the bottom of the highway, just before the entrance of the city. A fence was all that separated them from the inner city; it had a small hole enough for a single person to pass through, a makeshift entrance that Glenn had provided for them.

"Listen up, everyone." They all crowded around Rick as he got out of the driver seat of the truck. He turned to them with a serious expression on his face, his senses alarmed and adrenaline starting to pump into his veins.

The air smelled of the dead – a mixture of rotten meat, urine and feces, and it made Diane cover her nose for a brief moment, as if stopping herself from vomiting. Glenn felt the same too, however he wasn't successful in holding it in and he quickly rushed back to the back of the van where he relieved himself from the acid inside his stomach.

"God damnit!" Daryl cursed as he watched Glenn from afar. He shook his head and turned away, looking back at Rick and the rest of the group. "Disgustin' little son of a bitch."

Rick pretended not to notice Glenn's scenario and turned his attention to those around him, especially at Diane whose face was now looking uncomfortable.

"We get back to the mall following Glenn." Rick started to explain.

"Yes! Yes, I'm okay!" Glenn came running back to the group, wiping his mouth with his mouth and making Daryl move back.

"Get away from me." He snarled at him, pushing Glenn away.

"Listen!" Rick's almost shouted but controlled the volume of his voice as to not attract the walkers nearby. "We get inside a city in a single line and we don't break that line ever. Glenn leads us back to the mall, so he's first. I go second." He turned to Diane. "You get in the middle, Tdog will come next and Daryl will be last. I'm more comfortable with having someone with a good aim back there."

"That's it?" Daryl seemed to be losing patience more and more.

"Also," Rick reminded. "The bag I left in the street has guns and walkie-talkies and it's crucial that we get it. If we ever lose on another, we go back here. This is our meeting place, no matter what happens, we will wait for each other before the sun sets."

"And after the sun sets?" Tdog asked.

Rick frowned. "Well, we go back to camp."

He turned to Diane when she started talking. "If I get left behind, I want you all to go back to camp. It's my fault why I'm here, I don't want to burden anyone. Promise me that."

They all nodded at one another, understanding completely that what they were about to do was dangerous beyond comprehension.

"C'mon, let's do this." Rick gave a small encouraging smile before they all decided to move into the city.

* * *

><p>It wasn't grief and it wasn't mourning, because Daryl Dixon knew his brother was still alive. Even after seeing Merle's amputated hand left in the roof where he was supposed to be, Daryl knew Merle was still alive somewhere. He never met anyone as tough as his brother and it would take something more than a missing hand to stop him.<p>

Daryl, however, was overwhelmed with frustration. A few hours of waiting was all he needed to do, but Merle was still so stubborn and impatient. It just proved how much he distrusts Daryl, or how much he doubts his own brother's abilities. He should've known Daryl was going to get him out of there sooner or later; he should've had the _faith._

After getting the hand and stuffing it inside Glenn's backpack, Daryl and the group followed the drops of Merle's blood that led to the other building. He was surprised to find that Merle was able to put down several walkers even with one hand gone, the bodies of the undead sprawled on the floor like dead mosquitoes.

Their quest ended by the kitchen of what seemed to be an abandoned office. The stove was still on, evidence that a person recently stumbled upon it, but Merle was nowhere to be found.

"Goddamit, Merle!" Daryl cursed aloud as he tried to look out of the windows and to the nearby streets. He wanted to shout out loud but he couldn't risk the fact that some walkers might hear them.

"He couldn't have gone far." Diane's voice interrupted the thoughts inside Daryl's head. She was quiet now and somewhat uneasy since they saw their first walker inside the mall. After Daryl shot an arrow in between it's eyes, she stood there petrified and just looking at the corpse as if she wanted to talk to them. If Glenn didn't stop to notice she wasn't following, they would've left her there.

"It's dangerous to go further without the guns." Rick said as he took a chair and sat down, catching his breath. "We need to plan out how to get that bag."

"And what about Merle?" Daryl snarled. "We can't just let him run around with all them walkers outside!"

"If you were listening to what Rick said," Diane's voice was still soft, but the tone was more serious. "He clearly stated we should get the guns and _then _get Merle, so we won't get in trouble. I know you're upset, but we have to be really careful, Daryl."

Her words struck him (and annoyed him quite a bit), but he stayed quiet because she had a point. Instead of sulking, Daryl stared out of the window again hoping to get a glimpse of Merle in the nearby buildings.

He half-listened as Glenn instructed everyone on the route they would take to get to the guns. Daryl was tired and exhausted now, each muscle in his body strained by constant work and tension. His clothes were torn and almost ragged, with bloodstains of walkers and squirrels mixed together. He looked like shit, he was sure of it, but he didn't care. He never really cared much about looks anyway, unlike Merle who would take time to shine his shoes or clean his bike to look good for the ladies.

And now Merle had no right hand, and Daryl could only imagine the physical and mental trauma his brother had to go through to decide on such a thing. He cursed himself for taking too long before deciding to come back and he cursed himself for letting Merle go alone on a trip with these people, _trusting them. _It was his entire fault, Merle was right; they should never trust anyone but themselves.

"It's not your fault." Diane was beside him now, talking as if she just read his thoughts. Daryl glanced at her then quickly looked away, scared that she might see the guilt in his eyes.

"Whatever." He grunted as he turned towards the others, trying not to notice the disappointed look on her face.

Rick, Glenn and Tdog were preparing their weapons now, not that they still have a lot of it left. Rick had a pistol, Tdog had a baseball bat and Glenn had..well, Glenn had his running skills. A makeshift strategic map was drawn on the floor, almost looking like a child's drawing because of all the circles and lines that were on it.

"What the fuck is that?" Daryl asked as he tried to understand what the map meant.

"Our strategy!" Glenn squatted down and pointed at a circle that was hardly perceivable behind all the other pen marks. "This is me, obviously. I'll make a run for the bag of guns, while you guys cover me. There are two possible exits and I want you guys to be waiting in both sides just in case I need to make a detour. Got it?"

"Yeah, I think we're ready." Rick answered, putting the last bullets inside his handgun.

Tdog and Diane nodded in unison as Daryl grunted while reloading his crossbow. "Your drawin' looks like shit."

A few minutes later, they were outside, walking carefully pass several walkers that seemed to have smelled a hint of living flesh, but was clueless to what direction they had to face. Daryl immediately shot an arrow through one unknowing walker, a remnant of what seemed to be a homeless man. Diane looked away as the corpse fell on the ground, trying to hide the dissatisfaction in her eyes.

Rick and Tdog took care of the other one, the latter man blowing its head off until his baseball bat was black with blood, brains and pus. Glenn gave Diane his backpack, sweat forming on his forehead as he prepared to dash outside to get the guns.

"Tdog and I will be waiting at the other corner." Rick assured as he gave Glenn a pat on the back. "Be careful, kid."

"I've done this a hundred times." Glenn said in a tone that was half-convincing. "I can do this."

With that, Rick and Tdog walked to the other side, grasping on their weapons as if they could jump away from their hands. Daryl glanced at Diane as they walked to the waste bin where they would take cover and wait for Glenn. Her face was emotionless but something in her eyes told him she wasn't afraid. Anxious maybe, but not afraid. Glenn turned to them one last time, probably to make sure they were still there.

"You got balls for a chinaman." Daryl snorted as he took position behind the waste bin, Diane standing a few meters away.

"I'm Korean." Glenn rolled his eyes.

"Whatever."

Glenn nodded at Diane before dashing outside in one quick motion. They watched as he ran pass a few walkers that were so deteriorated they could hardly move, trying not to care that they sensed him. Things were going so quickly in reality, but to Daryl it felt like it was on slow motion. From their view, Daryl watched Glenn pick up the bag filled with guns and Rick's sheriff hat that was left next to it. Diane ran to the fence gate that divided them from the main street, waiting to greet Glenn as he ran back.

"They took the bag of guns!"

A voice suddenly interrupted the growing noise of the walkers; alarming Daryl and making him grip on his crossbow tighter. He watched as Glenn reached the fence gate where Diane was and threw the bag of guns as close to Daryl as possible. Two street thugs came into view, holding baseball bats on their hands and running fast as they could to catch Glenn, but to no avail, as the latter got through the fence gate before they could put their hands on him.

"Give us the guns!" One of them ordered as Diane tried to close the gate.

"Quick, do something!" Glenn's voice was a mixture of panic and urgency. Before Daryl could react, Glenn pointed at something behind him. "Daryl! Look out!"

A sharp pain went through Daryl's back and he turned around to see another thug standing behind him, he had his fists clutched together in pain after punching Daryl's shoulder.

"Fucker!" Daryl pointed his crossbow at him despite the pain in his right arm. With his other arm, he punched the thug and watched as he fell on the ground and became unconscious. He turned back to Diane and Glenn and saw that the thugs already got inside the gate, fiercely running towards the bag of guns on the ground.

_Where the fuck is Rick! _Daryl cursed as he turned his crossbow to one of the thugs that was holding Glenn and had his back to him.

"Stop him!" Glenn shouted as he tried to break free of the man's grasp on him.

"Stupid mu'fucker." Daryl fired an arrow directly hitting the man's butt and he watched in satisfaction as the thug jumped in pain, letting go of Glenn in the process.

"Guillermo!" The thug was holding his back and crying out to his other companion. "He shot me! He shot me!"

"Damn it!" The one named Guillermo turned around and grabbed Diane as they got out. "Take the girl, take the girl!"

The two quickly took a hold of Diane and she tried to break free of their grasp but was immediately overpowered. "Daryl!" She shouted as Daryl ran after them. "Daryl, help!"

Daryl's senses were going crazy now, and in a rush he loaded his crossbow and pointed it at the assailants as they disappeared into the street.

"Damn it!" He cursed as he and Glenn could only watch as the two thugs dragged Diane into a truck and drove away.


	5. Chapter 5

I'm back! Sorry for the super late upload, I've been hella busy for the past weeks and for a while, I was torn with where I wanted this story to go. Anyway, I took a different route so I hope you enjoy this one! Reviews are very much welcome, as always :) - D

Chapter 5

"She's probably so scared, she won't know what to do." Glenn sat at the end of the room, worried and talking to no one in particular. "What if they hurt her? Rape her? Torture her?"

"Shut the hell up! You ain't helpin'!" Daryl growled at Glenn before looking at the man in front of him. The young man looked about 16 or 17 years old, with a small tattoo of a bird on his right shoulder. He looked like a typical juvenile who would try to make himself look brave, when deep down inside he was nothing but a coward. Daryl knew how to play this game, he had met so many young people like this and he knew exactly how to deal with scumbags.

"Who are you people?" He asked. Tdog held down the young man named Miguel, while Rick stood by sporting a look of shock and disbelief on his face. Walkers at the other side of the street cornered the two men so they weren't able to come to Daryl, Glenn and Diane's aid as soon as they could. This caused Daryl to flip out even more than he usually does.

"I ain't telling nobody anything." The traumatized Miguel could only reply with half the courage in his tone. He refused to look at Daryl and instead, fixated his gaze out the window.

"Did you stupid fuckers take a man too? My brother, Merle?" Daryl approached the boy and moved his face towards his as the boy cried in pain.

"Daryl!" Rick shouted, coming in between them. "Stop it! Nobody needs to get hurt here."

Daryl stepped back and looked at Glenn with a frustrated expression on his face. "Gimme your bag."

Glenn glanced up and shook his head. "Diane has the backpack."

"Fuck." He cursed under his breath before hoisting his crossbow up and pointing it at Miguel.

"Stop it!" Rick shouted again.

"I hope they kill that puta!" Miguel retorted, causing even more disorder. "And that stupid brother of yours! You ain't gettin' anything from me!"

The room was in chaos shortly afterwards and Glenn could only watch as the 4 men shouted at one another in a way that not any of them could actually understand. Tdog was trying to keep Miguel down while Rick came in between Daryl and the boy. The small confined space where they were couldn't hold the amount of testosterone that was in rage at that moment, and as much as he wanted to participate in the arguments, Glenn felt like he was better off not saying anything.

"We need to talk about this as calmly as we can!" Rick snapped, causing everyone around him to shut up and look at him, except Miguel who was still trying to call for help. He took a towel Lori had placed inside his pocket before he left and stuffed it inside Miguel's mouth to make him stop talking. "Cut the noise or else you'll attract the walkers and I'm pretty sure you know who's going to be bait among us."

Rick turned back to Daryl, his expression that of urgency. "We need to talk calmly about this, Daryl. We can't just shout ideas, we need to formulate a _plan."_

"A plan?" Daryl repeated with a hiss. "There ain't no plan 'cept us findin' Merle!"

"And what about Diane?" Glenn cut off, finally joining the circle. "We can't just leave her there!"

"Ya'll go crazy about this bitch, but with Merle ya'll just decided to leave!" Daryl grunted, kicking an empty box and sending it flying across the disorganized room. "Ya'll heard what she said, if she gets lost, we leave her. I say we go 'round and look for Merle. We don't need to waste time! Besides, we came here for my brother, not to go hide and seek with these fuckers!"

"No!" Rick replied. "We can't just leave her. We have to be rational about this."

"Hell, she ain't nothing!" He retorted back with the same conviction. "We ain't even sure where she came from! Just a girl found in some woods, she could be one of 'em things! Ya'll don't know how to think!"

"Diane saved me today." Glenn said, looking at Rick and knowing he'd understand what he'll say. "If she didn't wait at that gate as I came back, those guys would've taken _me and the guns. _She doesn't know what's really happening right now, if she does escape that place, who knows if she can escape the walkers on the streets! We have to help her, Rick."

After a moment of silence, Rick nodded. "You're right, we have to do something."

"I say we ask our friend here to take us to their place." Tdog said as he motioned to Miguel.

"Oh good lord!" Daryl grunted again. "Fuckin' stupid assholes! Ya'll wanna go find that bitch, then go ahead. I ain't comin' with ya."

"But we need you here, Daryl." Rick argued, almost pleading. "We need manpower. Besides, what are your chances of survival out there? Believe me, I've been alone on the streets and it's not what you think it is. It ain't easy."

"It's better than here with you stupid assholes." He replied, hoisting the crossbow up his shoulder. "I ain't gonna sit 'round waiting for y'all, I'm gonna look for my brother."

There was no arguing to that and Rick knew it was useless to try and talk some sense into Daryl; he's already made up his mind. He fished for a pistol inside one of the bags and handed it to him after making sure that it had full ammunition.

"Take it." He said as Daryl stared at the weapon he was reaching out to him. "If you ever get surrounded, this will be easier to use."

"Man, don't give him any of our guns!" Tdog argued. "He doesn't wanna help us, then fine. It's his choice if he dies."

Rick shook his head and turned to Daryl. "Take it."

Daryl looked at the gun in Rick's hand for a few seconds before taking and examining it.

"15 rounds, use it just in case you need a faster weapon." Rick stated. "We get back to the truck before dawn, we'll wait for you there. I hope you find your brother."

Daryl grunted but said nothing. He eyed everyone with an expression that was unreadable, staring at Miguel last. He moved towards the kid, making him flinch backwards in fear.

"If Merle's with these guys –" He raised the kid's face to look at him. "You better tell me now or I'm gunna shoot an arrow between your sorry eyes!"

"I don't know your stupid brother!" Miguel shouted, shaking off Daryl's hands. "We don't take in anyone, especially a worthless redneck like you!"

"Motherfucker!" Daryl punched Miguel's face and the room was once again in chaos. Only Glenn held his ground, watching, as the commotion grew messier by the minute.

"Wait!" Glenn shouted, catching everyone by surprise. "I know that symbol!"

They all looked at where he was pointing and saw a small tattoo on Miguel's wrist, a letter V designed over some skulls and roses.

"What is it, Glenn?" Rick asked.

"I remember, when I delivered pizza downtown not long ago." Glenn recalled. "I saw these men, they tried to rob me and beat me up. I don't remember their faces, but they had that tattoo. I remember it so well because after that I decided to stop taking that street where they lived."

"You still remember the place now?" Tdog asked as Glenn nodded in response.

"If they're using the same hideout, then yeah. It's a small street not far from here, if we can avoid walkers and get there in daylight, then it won't be a problem."

Rick took out the towel he stuffed inside Miguel's mouth, asking him to confirm if what Glenn said was accurate.

"That was you?" Miguel laughed out loud before Daryl punched him in the face again and this time, it made him lose consciousness.

Rick shrugged in defeat after watching what Daryl did, knowing that it was better not to comment. "We better get there, then."

* * *

><p>"I can't believe he shot me!"<p>

Diane looked at the man beside him as he cried in pain, sitting in a sideward position as to not deepen the arrow even further inside his butt cheek. He was bleeding profusely from behind but he held a gun firmly towards Diane, his face a mixture of frustration and agony.

"I will kill that sumofabitch!" He cried again. "They better come back for this bitch, because I'm going to kill him!"

"Shut up Felipe!" Guillermo shouted at his companion as he drove the truck into a curve, putting into view a big steel gate that was the entrance of a compound.

Her hands were tied, but not so tightly, and Diane could feel that the ropes could be removed quietly if she did it with caution. Something at the back of her head was telling her what to do, an inner voice that she couldn't stop from hearing.

_Walk behind him, quietly remove the ropes and use it to gag the other one. _

The voice kept on talking, a familiar but unidentifiable voice that instructed her as if she had been in the same predicament before. Her head was hurting now, just like it does whenever she saw visions of her past, broken images that cannot be fully explained or remembered. She closed her eyes for a bit, hoping to see an image that could accompany the voice inside her head, but she had nothing. When she opened her eyes, she saw that they were pass the gate and was moving into a warehouse where more men were eagerly waiting for their arrival.

The place was a former car warehouse that now served as a base for these vatos, a group of Mexican men that caused disorder in Atlanta even long before the outbreak of the disease. The place was filled with cars of different sizes and appearance, most of them in repair or salvaged for parts. There were probably 15 grown men inside and they all looked like they were ready for war; they each held different melee weapons in their hands, but only a few of them were sporting firearms.

"Did you get the guns?" One of them approached the truck as it stopped.

"Some other people took 'em." Guillermo said. "They got Miguel too."

"What?" Another man cried from a distance. "Now what? How will we get the guns now?"

"They'll come back." He replied as he dragged Diane out of the truck. "We have one of them, I'm sure they wouldn't let anything happen to Ms. Beautiful right here."

"Fuck you." Diane replied as the others laughed. Guillermo grabbed Glenn's backpack that was on the seat of the truck before they were all completely off the vehicle.

"She's a feisty one!" Another one of the thugs commented as they got out of the vehicle completely.

"C'mon! Get her inside quick and get me someone, I've been shot!" Felipe dragged Diane by her arm as Guillermo followed behind them. He was holding the arrow that was stuck in his butt cheek and cried with each step he took.

The other thugs were further away and Diane sensed that it was the proper timing to do whatever it was her inner voice was telling her to do.

_Do it now. _The voice inside her head ordered her and she took a quick breath.

_I can't. _She replied to whoever it was. _I don't know what you're talking about._

It felt stupid that she was having a conversation in her mind, but the voice seemed so vivid that not replying would make her feel inadequate. She couldn't do it, whatever it was ordering her to do, not when there are 15 men surrounding her and watching her every move. She could barely stand up now and she was convinced that trying to fight back against them would not end well in her behalf. Instead of following the voice that was commanding her, she decided to just do nothing and observe her surroundings.

Whatever they were hiding there, they would risk their lives protecting it. It was evident in the way the men looked at each other and how alert they were despite the tired look on their faces. For some reason, these men relied on Guillermo for decisions, something that reminded Diane of Rick. She thought about her companions and wondered if they were looking for her now, and then she remembered the deal they had before they entered the city.

"_If I get left behind, I want you all to go back to camp." She said then. "It's my fault why I'm here, I don't want to burden anyone. Promise me that." _

Her own words repeated over and over inside her head and she imagined Daryl, Rick, Glenn and Tdog discussing it over. Daryl still probably wants to find Merle and she wasn't sure if Glenn, Tdog and Rick would want to risk themselves for a girl they barely knew – a girl who didn't even know who she really was. It was a mistake coming here to Atlanta and she knew she should've listened to Dale and Andrea when they warned her and told her that the city posted threats of not only the undead, but of the people alive that would fight one another for survival.

What if Rick and the others actually do leave her? She looked at the men around her and prayed that if they didn't get the guns that they wanted, they would just decide to kill her and not let her undergo torture or worse, rape. She cringed at the thought of it but couldn't do anything but walk, following Guillermo into the back of the warehouse unbeknownst to what may lie there.

_Do it._

She paused for a while and felt her head throb in pain that was fast and sharp, as if someone was stabbing it on the inside.

_Do it before they kill you. _

Guillermo turned to her after noticing she stopped walking, a bit frustrated after she failed to answer his calls the first time.

"What's wrong with you?" He was beside her now, the eye of the other men on them both. "Walk faster!"

She stood there feeling her head and not saying anything. Losing his patience, Guillermo then decided to take her arm and drag her out of a big steel door and into the backyard that had a vast garden that was surprisingly maintained. Three big tents were set up around the yard, each having a specific purpose pointed out by the handwritten signboards that were posted on each entrance. One was for the medical supplies; one was for food and the other was the armory, as Diane would've understood, but instead the sign had a mispronounced word on it that read: 'Amrory' and the tent was basically empty.

There were children and women playing by the courtyard and they all turned to them as they passed, the children's mouth open wide as if they were surprised to see someone unfamiliar come inside the compound - someone _alive_.

_Their families. _Diane thought as she locked eyes with a woman that was about her age, cradling an infant in her arms. _That was what they were protecting all along._

Guillermo looked at her but said nothing as they walked further on. Diane's legs felt numb and her head was throbbing in pain. Her hands were still bound but the ropes were less intact then they had originally been, so she could move more freely but not completely. The air smelled of a mixture of medicine, like ammonia and formalin combined, and it made her gag deep inside. The walls of the small building they entered were the color of off-white, with the paint almost gone from the walls and replaced with dirt and strain that obviously showed the age of the structure. It looked like an old, abandoned clinic, probably a retirement home that lacked funds and was taken down by the government. Or probably the place was a home not long ago, which was only ruined by the apocalyptic chaos that was currently ensuing, Diane didn't know for sure.

The place was almost empty except for several men in the halls and several women going about their daily chores, each of them looking at Guillermo and Diane with sharp expressions as they walked passed. Diane's vision was blurring as she took each step but she tried to fight it as much as she could. They stopped in front of the fourth door at the end of the hallway and Guillermo fished the keys from his pocket and started opening it. Diane stared at yard again, at the far end of the building was a small gate, a possible exit, and wondered how she could escape there and where it would lead. It seemed sturdy although the lack of protection showed that it was obviously where some of the men went in and out of the compound without making too much noise.

"You're gonna stay here 'till your friends give us the guns." He said in a tone that was almost mechanical. "Don't try to do anything stupid."

He turned to face her after he inserted the key and the door handle clicked open, revealing what seemed to be an old storage room filled with boxes. Guillermo pushed Diane inside in one motion, his grasp strong enough to make her move but not too strong to bruise her.

Diane faced him, wanting to argue and cry at the same time and wanting to plead to him to let her go, but he didn't look at her before closing the door. The room was almost empty with the lights flickering an off-yellow luminosity that barely illuminated the area. There was a small window by the side of the room and behind the empty boxes that was barely shining sunlight inside the room. She contemplated for a second but soon realized that no matter what she did, she would never fit there and escape. She sat down and started tugging at the ropes binding her hands, making the rough texture scratch her skin and hurt her, but she didn't care. After quite a while of struggling, the ropes finally came off of her bleeding hands and Diane took off a piece of her clothing to wrap it around her injury.

"Damn it!" She cursed as she watched her own blood flowing out of her open wound. "Stupid, stupid, stupid."

She stood up, limping through the small space and pushing away the empty boxes as she reached the window that was surrounded by steel bars, similar to that of a prison cell. She had to tiptoe to be able to take a glimpse of what it was outside; even with minimal view she could tell that there are walkers within the area. Wind blew from across the street and the overpowering smell of rotten meat made her back down and walk away from the window. She ran towards the door and started pounding on it with all the strength she had. The metal door strained her hand even more but she didn't stop pounding on it even after seeing more blood oozing out of her wounds.

"Let me out!" She shouted, although she was certain it wouldn't make a difference and that her shouting might only attract nearby walkers, but she could care less at the moment. "Let me out right now! Please let me out, anyone!"

Pounding and shouting didn't help her at all, in fact it only made her waste the little energy she had left. The families there obviously didn't care about anyone else and she was fairly certain that the women were afraid of the men and wouldn't do anything to go against them. After a few minutes, she sat down on the floor in defeat, her hand throbbing in pain that was simultaneous to that of her head. Alone and abandoned, she had no idea what was waiting for her at the end of the day and the fear she felt only worsened after she felt her stomach grumble in hunger. She looked out of the window and saw the light of day, convinced that her days are numbered. Hell, maybe she wouldn't even last by the end of the day by the look of things. The thought of dying without even knowing what exactly happened to her sent tears flowing out and she spent the next hours crying alone.

* * *

><p>The sound of the door opening woke her up and that was when Diane realized she fell asleep crying. She watched as the metal door creaked and slowly open, revealing another man, most likely a member of the vatos, holding a tray of what seemed to be food and a glass of water.<p>

He gave her a smile that sent shivers down her spine. He seemed older than Guillermo, his body covered in tattoos that were barely visible because of the grime that was covering him. His eyes were dark and his face had an obvious scar that went from the top of his right cheek to the bottom of his chin. His teeth were a mixture of gold and yellowish teeth that was shown to her by his wide smile.

"Your boyfriends are here." He said with a sarcastic grin. "Stupid to risk their lives for you. Three against twenty, ha!" His laughter echoed through the small room as he dropped the tray at her feet. Diane collected herself and wrapped her hands around her knees, trying not to show that she was surprised with what he said.

_Three? _She thought hard. Glenn, Rick, Tdog.. without Daryl? That was the only explanation she could think of. Of course, Daryl would want to look for Merle, he was his brother and she was nothing to him anyway. But the other three, was it true that they came back for her? The thought of having Rick, Glenn and Tdog outside trying to compromise with these men made her feel warm inside. Now more than ever, she was indebted to them and she made a silent promise to make it up to them if they ever get the chance to escape.

"I don't blame them, though." He approached her, slowly sitting down beside her and taking her face with his big hands. "Hard to find a girl these days, 'specially one that looks like you. Clean and fresh."

"Fuck you." She spit on his face, making him turn away and then get a stronger grip around her, almost choking her.

She tried to take his hand away but he was too strong, or maybe she was just too weak, she wasn't exactly sure. The pressure on her neck was overpowering and she found herself trying hard to breathe, coughing out the small amount of air that was left in her lungs.

"I like a girl who fights back!" He laughed again, this time his breath was on her face and she could smell the foul odor of decaying teeth. She tried to move her face away but he pulled it back to him and tried kissing her as she started screaming.

"They think they can get you outta here without bein' a use to us, huh?" He said as he forced her head towards him even more, straining her neck. "Stupid fuckers."

Her screams grew louder as she felt his hands go through her body, opening her jeans. She kicked and screamed as she tried to push him away, only to be overpowered shortly after. He was halfway through removing her pants when they heard a crash that seemed to have come from the hallway outside. He didn't mind them until more noises were heard as if several things were falling down and glasses were crashing.

"Damn it!" He cursed under his breath, letting go of her for a moment. "Damn kids! Prolly forget to close the damn basement door again. Told 'em fucking hundreds of times to close it or the sewer rats'll get our food! Damn putos!"

He stood up and composed himself before giving her a quick kiss on the head. "I'll be right back, mi corazon."

When he was outside, Diane pulled her pants up, ran to the door and locked it as quick as she could, her heart racing as fast as her tears were falling from her face. Locking it was useless because she knew he had the keys, but somehow knowing he was far outside and not looking at her with those maniacal eyes comforted her. She looked around the room for something she could use as a weapon, anything at all, but all she managed to find was empty boxes and paper. The tray he brought in had bread and water, obviously the perfect food for a prisoner since it didn't need the use of utensils.

Her mind was going crazy in confusion and fear. She was hungry but she didn't want to eat what he brought for her in fear that there might be some drugs mixed with it. There were noises outside but it was hardly audible through the metal door so she pushed her ears to the door and listened as the man walked further and further away, his steps were heavy and she could hear him grunt and curse as he moved.

"Damn!" He yelled, his voice farther away now. His boots clacked through the marble floor of the hallway as he took heavy steps. There was a sudden silence that was soon interrupted by the man's deep voice. "I told you ese, never leave the Goddamn door-"

The next noise she heard wasn't what she expected. There was a sudden crash, similar to glasses breaking and shattering, and she could hear voices as the man shouted. A crash, a loud thud and several footsteps followed. Then she heard the man scream, a scream that made the hair on her arms rise up in fear and at that moment she knew something was terrible wrong and that something worse was going to happen to her if she stayed where she was. She tried to steady herself by the door despite her hands shaking and she held her breath as she listened more intently. The seconds passed by slowly, her heartbeat ringing in her ears, deafening her as the screams of the man echoed through the small building. When the screams finally stopped, she heard the crunching of bones and the tearing of flesh; something chomping on something that she couldn't exactly point out at the moment. But then it hit her, right at the moment she heard the flesh rip out of the man's body and the overpowering smell of rotten meat came up to her nostrils. It wasn't just sewer rats that caused the noise and the moans that she could hear right now. It wasn't sewer rats that had footsteps that almost dragged and heaved through the floor and most definitely, it wasn't sewer rats that caused the man to scream in such a way that made it seem like his flesh was being torn away from his own body.

It wasn't sewer rats that got inside the building - it was walkers.


	6. Chapter 6

Hello everyone! I'm so sorry for being AWOL. But I'm back now and I don't think I'm going anywhere. Here's a little sneak peek, next part's going to be awesome! As always, thanks for reading. :)

**Chapter 6**

The sound of blood splattering was heard at the exact moment Daryl's arrow pierced through the head of a walker, an old woman whose face was hardly recognizable because of her wounds, sending her down with a loud thud. She made a sound, a faint groan, before she finally stopped moving.

Daryl came up to her and took the arrow from her head, wiping the blood and brains clean before reloading it back into his crossbow. Tiny beads of sweat were forming on his forehead as he looked around. He was back inside the building again where Merle's drops of blood ended by a kitchen stove that was left open when they found it. They looked around when they first got there, but after the discussing of 'guns first, Merle later' and the kidnapping of Diane, the others seemed to have completely forgotten about finding his brother.

The others are probably there by now. He thought. _Stupid fuckers. _They decided to take Miguel and give him to the group in exchange for Diane, 'one of us for one of them', as Rick said.

They gave Daryl the directions to the street in case he ever decided to help them, and he would have an idea of what was going to happen since he's going to spend time in the roof of the buildings where it was better to look at the streets. Somehow he was relieved that they didn't try to convince him to come with them at the last minute, because he felt like he could've changed his mind then.

It was up to Daryl now to find Merle. Sure, he might've been an asshole all his life, but there was no one else in the world that Daryl was familiar with aside from him. His brother who, despite his shortcomings, tried to protect him from their father and tried to bring him up as normally as he possibly could. Even if he didn't usually feel this way, right now all he could think of was finding Merle and bringing him back to camp safe and sound.

He inspected the room, looking at all the possible exits that Merle might have chosen. There was a door at the back of the kitchen that led all the way to the roof and Daryl carefully made his way up, gripping on his crossbow tightly, readying himself in case a walker appears. Instead, nothing but the heat of the sun greeted him when he reached the top. The roof was empty and it made Daryl sigh in exhaustion as he made his way to the side of the building and looked down at the streets.

"Where the fuck are ya, Merle?" He sighed as he rested his crossbow on his side and looked around the empty streets of the city.

There were walkers everywhere, most of them walking without a specific direction. Some of them looked worse than the others, with flesh torn from their faces or their bodies almost split in half. Meat, flesh and blood littered the once clean and busy streets of Atlanta and the air that was once fresh, smelled nothing but that. The stench was unbearable, even for someone like Daryl that was used to forests and dirt. It reminded him of this one time when he got home after a few days of hunting, he opened their old refrigerator then, only to be greeted by the smell of decaying beef, pork and fruits, all neglected to be put away by Merle.

Now that he thought about it again, the air smelled even worse than that. It was like throwing away decaying meat inside a box filled with shit and opening it after five days, that's exactly how Merle would've described it. Daryl shook his head in disgust, wondering if he would ever get used to the smell of the dead.

All of Atlanta was in ruins now. If there was anyone alive out there, they did a good job of pretending they weren't because as he looked out, Daryl could see nothing but abandoned cars, burned buildings, abandoned military equipment and the dead walking.

Something caught his attention and he turned down to the entrance of the other building next to where he was. There was an open hole, a manhole perhaps, that looked like it could be used as a passageway. He watched as several walkers absentmindedly walked towards it and fell down, something that he found a bit funny.

He pulled his crossbow up again and turned away, reminding himself to watch out for manholes if he ever ran on the streets.

* * *

><p>Rick adjusted his sheriff hat and turned to face Guillermo. The heat of Atlanta was taking a toll on them, especially as they stood out in the open in front of the warehouse where the gang stayed. From a third person point of view, it would've been obvious to point out who had the upper hand on the current situation. Rick, Glenn and Tdog were in one side, heavily armed and looking dead serious but obviously outnumbered by the group of men adjacent to them. Guillermo and his thugs numbered to more or less 20, not all of which were armed, but they obviously posted a threat against the three men.<p>

In one hand, Tdog held the ropes that bound Miguel's wrists together while on the other he held up an automatic shotgun. Miguel pleaded over and over, trying to convince Guillermo that he was important to his group but Guillermo didn't seem to mind him.

"Shut up!" Guillermo replied when Miguel's pleas became too much to bear. He turned to face Rick, his expression showing neither fear nor sympathy. "You give us the guns, then we give you the girl. It's a fair deal, don't you think? Both will be very useful in the long run anyway."

"You have one of us," Rick started his speech, the one he'd been thinking of since they came up with the plan. "We'll give you yours back if you give us the girl."

"No." Came Guillermo's quick response. "I want my guns."

"They are not yours!" He shouted, gripping on the semi-automatic shotgun he held in his hands. "These guns are mine, I brought them here."

"The bag was on the street, anyone can quickly claim it's theirs." Guillermo said as some of his companions nodded in agreement. "It's the guns or the girl, you choose."

Rick turned to look at Glenn and Tdog, nodding at them as if asking for permission. He turned back to Guillermo and without batting an eyelash, he said, "I want to see Diane first. I want to know she's okay, then you can have your guns."

"Rick, are you sure about this?" Glenn came closer to Rick, whispering. "You're not going to give them the guns, are you?"

There was silence as Rick nodded at Guillermo, urging him on. "Show us."

Guillermo nodded. "Seems to be fair." He turned back and called out to someone. "Pedro! Pedro! Get the girl."

The people looked around but no Pedro seemed to answer. Felipe turned to Guillermo and answered.

"He's not here!"

"What the fuck!" Guillermo yelled. "He was just gonna give her food, what's taking him so long?"

"He went there with the food." The other replied, seemingly coming up with a conclusion. "He said he'd be back as soon as-"

"Didn't anyone come with him?" The alarm in Guillermo's voice made Rick uneasy. "Fuckin' putos! Get him, now!"

"Are you kidding me?" Glenn yelled, understanding what's happening. "Don't tell me you-"

Rick moved closer to Guillermo and pointed the shotgun towards him as the rest of the group readied themselves. "If any of your boys lay even just a finger on her, I will blow your brains out. Don't think that I won't."

"Easy there, compadre." He let out a nervous laugh. "We don't rush decisions, do we? Pedro's probably coming out right now-"

The commotion that followed right afterwards took everyone by surprise. There were screams coming from all directions, women and children suddenly appearing out of nowhere, blood in their clothes and flesh torn out of their bodies.

It took a few seconds for Rick to register everything he was seeing and was torn whether he should help the vatos or run away. The thugs were now attacking the walkers that seemed to have come from inside. _A back exit, maybe?_

"Rick, what are we going to do?" Glenn's voice trembled as they watch a dozen – maybe two – of walkers attacking families in front of them and Rick knew what was supposed to be done, almost without hesitation.

"We can't let them die, Glenn. There are women and children here!" He said. "Let's help, but we should find a way to get to Diane."

"If she's still alive." Tdog yelled back as the men hoisted their weapons up.

* * *

><p>"Shit, shit, shit." Diane kept repeating under her breath as the walkers started pounding at the door, their moans echoing to her ears as if they were right next to her. There were beads of sweat forming on her forehead and she was dizzy, the heat of the room suffocating her. She stood up and started moving the boxes away – away from what exactly, she wasn't sure.<p>

Looking up at the window, she saw nothing but clear skies.

"Help!" She shouted, desperate for an escape. "Help me anyone, please!"

Obviously, no one could hear her and the sounds of her shouting only made the walkers outside the door moan louder, as if their voices enough would let them get in.

The boxes were stuffed at the door and she looked around trying to make sense of something, anything. Her heart was racing and it pounded in her ears, making her deaf and as frightened as ever. Hope was dwindling as every second passed by.

She was about to scream for help again when something caught her eye. At the very bottom of the wooden wall of the room was a very small hole. A hole so tiny it couldn't have been seen by anyone, unless they were desperate enough to look at every wood attached. The light from the outside passed through the small hole and for Diane, it was like a spark of hope that ignited her senses.

She moved all the boxes aside and started kicking the hole as hard as she could, until her legs had no feeling left. The hole proved that the walls were not as strong as she first thought it would be and the wooden panel at the bottom was fortunately infested with termites, so it was easier to destroy.

The noises of the walkers outside grew louder and louder and she wondered if the thugs outside were even aware that people were being attacked.

"Stupid fucks." She cursed under her breath as she wiped the sweat off her forehead using the back of her hand.

Her legs were aching but she kept on kicking and kicking until the wood finally collapsed and gave a small opening that would make her fit if she squeezed hard enough. She peaked at what was outside and saw two walkers farther away at the end of the street, seemingly unaware of her screams as they were walking towards the other side of the building.

Pushing her legs first, she slowly squeezed herself out of the small hole she created, determined to get out of there before the walkers get a chance to tear the door down.

Just as she was completely out of the hole, someone – something – pulled her out.


End file.
